Warning
by TheDarkAvengerGirl
Summary: Akira and Kairi are twins and the best of friends. After becoming ninjas they face many challenges ahead.  THIS STORY WILL NOT MAKE ANY SENSE.
1. Chapter 1

**Akira and Kairi's Story**

_Born as "twins", Akira and Kairi had a happy childhood, until their mother and father abandoned them at the age of 6. Akira and Kairi had caught the gate guards' attention and were eventually taken in by a young woman named Gummi._

"AKIRA!KAIRI! Hurry up! You're gonna be late to school!" Gummi yelled, "If you're late again, I won't make you guys any sandwiches when you get home!"

"Okay, okay!" Kairi shouted, "we're ready!"

Akira smoothly followed behind her, "We'll have something to eat on the go, please."

Gummi handed them two rice balls, "Seriously, I didn't think you two were going to be this disorganized when I adopted you two."

"Well, live with it."Kairi said proudly.

"Okay Kai, Aki, you two better be going. See you after school!" Gummi called after them.

"See you later, Gummi!"Kairi and Akira shouted back. Kairi inspected her rice ball, "Aki, I think she gave us the ones you were gonna eat today."

"What?" Akira checked hers too, "Darn, she did… Oh well, just enjoy it."

"Agreed."Kairi ate, "These taste good."

"Thank you."

**~~AT THE SCHOOL~~**

"Akira and Kairi Ouri!" Iruka called, "Has anyone seen Akira and Kairi Ouri!"

"HERE!" Kairi yelled, "WE'RE HERE!"

Kairi and Akira rushed through the door funding some seats as soon as possible.

"That's…good."Iruka sighed, "You two were almost late, again."

"Well. Now what?" Kairi asked.

"We're assigning teams today. So no complaining, okay Kairi?"

"Oh! So now you're calling people out now, huh! WHATCHA HAVE AGAINST ME, HUH!"

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Iruka surrendered.

"Kairi…Can we hear our teams now?"Akira asked quietly.

"Yeah, sure thing! Carry on Sensei!"

"Okaay… uh, Team 1 consists of Vixen, Kairi, and Kuppi.

Team two is Cupid, Donzer, and Blitzen.

3= Dasher, Prancer, and dancer.

4= Joe, Casey, and Bob.

5= Fruit, Milk, and Vegetables.

Team 6 is Daisuke, Akira, and Kuomi.

AND SO ON!"

"Aww, this sucks! I wanted Hinata on my team!" Kairi wailed.

"I thought I told you no complaining."

"Well too bad!"

**~~MEETING THE TEACHERS~~**

**KAIRI**

"Hey, Hey, Hey. Vixen why don't you wanna talk?"Kairi asked

Vixen shrugged.

"Kairi! Kairi! The teacher's here!" Kuppi yelled.

"that's…good?"

"IT'S A LADY!"Kuppi shouted some more.

The 'lady' smiled and said, "Hello, my name's Fumi and I will be your new sensei."

"My name's Kairi, but I sometimes get called Kai and I like yogurt."

"My name is Kuppiroshi, but I like to be called Kuppi, and I love duckies!"

Every one looked at Vixen, waiting for and answer, " I'm Vixen."

"Say whatcha like and stuff Vixen!"Kairi begged, "PLEASE!"

"no" he replied.

**AKIRA**

Daisuke, Akira, and Kuomi were playing rock paper scissors when their new sensei came.

"Hey there, my name's Yuko and I'm your new sensei."

"Hi, my name's Kuomi and I like to help other people. But I hate being picked on."

"My name is Akira Ouri and I like to help my sister, and I dislike people who make fun of her."

"My name's Daisuke and I protect my younger siblings. I dislike people who think family isn't important."

"That's great." Yuko said, "That's awesome, in fact, I have the helping group."

He started to smile. And he led the team to the training grounds.

"You are going to watch the other team, Team 7 train and you are going to observe their strategies."

He instructed them, "I'll be back in 1 hour, okay?"

"Okay?"they answered. A silver haired man spotted them watching his team and asked, "Are you guys lost?"

"No."

"Well then, why are you here?"

"Watching your team train."

"Okaay. Well if you need anything, my name's Kakashi Hatake. And just whistle if you need me."

"Okay."


	2. Chapter 2

**~~AFTER TEAM 7'S TRAINING~~**

"Where's sensei?" Kuomi asked, "It's been over an hour already."

"I don't know, maybe something important came up." Daisuke suggested.

"Maybe…"Akira admitted, "Maybe he forgot about us."

"That's true."Kuomi agreed, "I did hear that he has trouble remembering simple things."

Kakashi walked over to them with his team, "Well, while Yuko is gone, how about you kids get to know each other?"

The teams stared at one another, "Hi…"a pink haired girl said, "My name is Sakura Haruno."

"My Name's NARUTO Uzumaki!"A boy in an orange jacket yelled.

"Sasuke Uchiha."Sasuke Uchiha said.

"Kuomi Pumai…That's what my name is…"Kuomi introduced himself cautiously.

"My name's Daisuke Mizaki." Daisuke told them cheerfully.

"My name is… A-Akira Ouri."Akira stuttered out.

"Well then! I'll pair you guys into partners and you'll find out more about each other!"Kakashi Smiled through his mask?"Okay Sasuke and Akira, Sakura and Daisuke, Kuomi and Naruto! Get going!"

Sasuke and Akira just glanced at each other for a bit then went on thinking in their heads.

Daisuke and Sakura were talking about Konoha's history.

Kuomi and Naruto were playing tag.

And Kakashi was looking at Icha Icha Paradise.

Everything was going on perfectly, and finally Yuko appeared, "Sorry I'm late! I was walking, when I saw a cat stuck in a tree and I got it and gave it back to an old lady and once I was done with that, I was hungry so I went to the Ramen stand and got some ramen but some old friends kept coming to say hi and it took me forever to eat my ramen with everyone coming in and out!"

"Umm…Yuko-sensei… That's okay, we had a great time. See you tomorrow?"Kuomi suggested.

"Oh-Uh-Yeah! But please just call me Yuko! Okay see ya!" he headed off.

"But it's still noon."Daisuke said.

"exactly!"Kuomi replied. And everyone went on with what they were doing.

**KAIRI**

"Okay team! You guys will train then eat lunch then train!"

"What!"Kairi shouted, "Train all day! That's what my sister always does!"

"Oh well…"Fumi replied, "You're doing it now. Now Go!"

"grr!"Kairi growled."

**~~Kairi and Akira's home~~**

"I hate my new sensei!"Kairi yelled, "She's so mean! She made us do training all day!"

"Good for you?"Akira asked, "well, I haven't seen my sensei a lot, so I cant say anything."

"well here are your sandwiches."Gummi told them, "I'm off to work now so bye bye."

Akira and Kairi's day was normal after that. Eat, watch TV, snack, shower, sleep, various things…and wake up."

**~~In the morning~~**

"Bye Gummi!" they called, "Bye sis!" and ran off separate ways.

**KAIRI**

"well what now! More training?" kairi asked.

"no."Fumi said, "Ice Cream."

"What?"

"Ice Cream. As a reward for yesterday."

"Seriously? Like, you mean it?"

"Yep. One day of work means one day of fun."

"That is Awesome!"Kairi shouted, "let's go!"

**AKIRA**

"Hey Kids!"Yuko greeted them, "I hope you're not mad about yesterday."

"Naw, we're not mad!"Kuomi assured him, "We had a great time with team 7!"

"Well…That's good. But…"He couldn't meet their eyes, "I-I've been assigned to an urgent mission outside of fire county and I have to leave. But with the shortage of teachers, you've all been assigned to be with team 7 during the period of my absence. I'm so sorry."

"it's okay. We'll be fine." Akira and Daisuke told him, "We'll be sure to learn a lot from Kakashi. Okay Yuko?"

"y-yeah. What about you Kuomi?"he turned to the blonde and blue streaked haired boy.

"We'll be fine. Don't worry. But you have to promise us that you'll take care of yourself and when you come back you'll teach us a lot of things, okay?"

"I promise."Yuko smiled, "thank you so much. Now let me escort you to Kakashi."

During the walk team 6 learned a lot from Yuko about his past, which was pretty tragic. But somehow, Yuko brought himself to smile everyday, "okay. Here you are. I have to be going in a bit, but how about a group hug?"

"Sure…that's fine."They replied sheepishly. They all hugged for a brief moment, "bye!" Yuko called as he walked off.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei. What are we doing today?"Daisuke asked as Sakura gasped when Sasuke went to go stand by Akira.

"Why is he standing by her! She doesn't even talk to him!"Sakura said angrily.

"Maybe that's why."Kuomi told Sakura.

"Shut up. I wasn't asking you."

"Geez, you're so mean."Kuomi muttered, "Stupid fan girls."

Daisuke and Naruto were having a staring contest.

Sasuke looked at Akira and couldn't help but ask, "What's your past like?" because she was driving him crazy by not even looking at him even though he should be glad that she didn't.

"Oh. Um, me and my sister were abandoned when we were six. And a lady named Gummi found us and took us in. Even though nobody wanted us."

"Really…"Sasuke told her, "My family was massacred by my own brother. And now I want to avenge my family."

"That's good. What was your brother's name?"

"Itachi uchiha."

Her eyes widened, "I-Itachi. H-he helped me arrive to Konoha. Does he have long black hair?"

"Yes! That's him!"this was the first time he had shouted in years, "where was he headed to?"

"He told me that he was looking for a relative. That's all."

"thank you Akira, now I might actually find my brother." he quickly hugged her because he was happy, and began thinking again. Akira began thinking too about Itachi.

Sakura watched the scene, along with everyone else, in amazement. 'It was Akira, who broke Sasuke's cold shell' Sakura thought, 'not me. It was Akira, who got Sasuke's hug, not me. I MUST EXTERMINATE HER!CHYEAAHH!'

Sakura on the outside was fuming mad, too. But it wasn't just her who was mad, It was also Kuomi who was turning red with anger and jealousy of Sasuke, "Stupid pretty boy." he muttered.

Naruto and Daisuke however, just stood there shocked, but then got over it and started battling.

'WOW…'Kakashi thought, 'What a Dramatic group.'

**KAIRI**

"YUMMY!"Kuppi shouted, "I love strawberry ice cream!"

"Yup! IT IS AWESOME!"Kairi agreed, "Hey let's go on the roller coaster!"

"Sure! That sounds like fun!"Fumi Said, "I knew you'd like the carnival!"

"uhm, Okay?"Vixen said nervously. Kairi saw his nervousness and said, "It's okay Vixen! It's gonna be soo fun that you're gonna wanna ride again!"

"Okay."Vixen said, believing in every word that Kairi told him about the roller coaster.

Kuppi grinned when he saw the cotton candy machine.

**kairi and Akira's home**

"I love my team!"Kairi sighed, "soo fun! Too bad tomorrow's a work day."

"K-Kairi, do you remember Itachi?"Akira asked

"Yah! How could I forget the guy who helped us find civilization!"Kairi smiled, "Yeahh that guy was weird. But why do you ask about him?"

"Um…Do you know Sasuke Uchiha from class?"

"Yeah! I used to like him but he was a jerk so I quit him. Why?"

"Oh-Um, Itachi is Sasuke's big brother. And Itachi murdered Sasuke's family. Which means he murdered his own family. Which means that he's CuKoo."

"WHAT? Itachi? Never… He was so nice though."

"Duh, fugitive on the run."

"Yeah that makes sense, but we better get sleeping 'cause we might have to meet other teams tomorrow."

"Okay goodnight."

" 'Night."


	3. Chapter 3

**~~The next day with all the other teams.~~**

"Yo Akira!"Kairi yelled, "I'm over here!"

"Oh, hey Kai! Meet my team!" Akira dragged Daisuke and Kuomi behind her while Kairi dragged Vixen and Kuppi helped. But when Kuppi saw Kuomi he yelled, "KUO! I REMEMBER YOU,KUO!"

"WHAT! KUPPIROSHI YOU FREAKING BRAT!HECK YEAH I REMEMBER YOU!"Kuomi shouted.

"What's going on?"Akira asked Kuomi while Kairi asked Kuppi, Kuomi answered Akira, "that little brat bit my leg when I was little and nobody would blame him because they thought he was cute, so they yelled at me for getting my pants bloody and he was treated oh-so specially, while I suffered many painful spankings for trying to get him caught red-handed."

However, Kuppi's story went like this, "When I was littler I bit Kuo's leg because it looked like he was gonna kick me and it got all bloody and everyone was treating me soo good after that so I did it many times again. And he got mad at me after that."

So as it turned out, Akira and Kairi couldn't hang out together because of the never-ending rivalry of Kuomi and Kuppi. So They Met the other teams separately. And had to end the day without hanging out with each other.

**~~Chunin EXAMS~~**

"Chu-Chu-Chu!"Kuppi snickered, "That's the hint of what's gonna be going on for the next few days."

"OKAY I GET IT!"Kairi said, annoyed at Kuppi giving her hints.

Vixen just sat there and observed the two argue. Personally, he preferred quiet people around him and he wouldn't mind if his team was made up of Hinata or Akira, Sasuke or Shikamaru and himself, but at least something interesting was always going on. 'That's the plus side.' He thought.

"ALL RIGHT!"Fumi yelled, "It's time to give out forms for the Chunin exams then you'll go train!"

"Okay!"Kairi yelled, "Training! Then, my turn to pick a funday spot!"

"yupp!"Fumi smiled, "I'll tell you more about the Chunin exams later. Now train, pupils!"

**AKIRA**

"Chunin Exams?"Sakura asked, "Already?"

"Yes…"Kakashi said, "It's time for your Chunin exams. The downfall of this is that you six can't

be one big team. So Yuko's team will be separate. But here's your forms. After that mission we just had a few weeks ago, I suspect that everyone will train hard, right?"

Akira paled, she knew Kakashi mentioned the mission to freak her out about Haku, Her childhood friend, dying.

"All right!" Kuomi said, excitingly.

**~~WALKING WITH TEAMS 7&6~~**

"So, Are you going to be in the Chunin exams, Akira?"Kuomi asked.

"Of course…"her voice quivered, "why not?"

"That's good to see a positive attitude on you Akira."Daisuke commented, he smiled at her and she turned a little pink.

"Um. Let's go see what team 7's doing."She said and ran over to team 7.

"Hey Akira."Naruto greeted her with a grin. She smiled back. She saw a red haired boy who looked oddly familiar to her. She asked, "Excuse me… Do I know you from somewhere?"

He glared at her, "My name's Garra no Sabaku. I'm from Suna."

"Gaara. Hmm."She thought, "Did your parents die. From you?"

Gaara tensed and decided not to kill her yet. Not until the Chunin exams. His sister, Temari decided to answer for him, "That's none of your business…"

Suddenly she recognized the Girl with the red eyes, "You. You're Akira Ouri. Gaara's first friend…" She started to grin, "Gaara was devastated when you and your sister left him alone. Why did you have to go?

"I had to leave Suna because Itachi told us that we had to go."Akira replied, "I'm sorry he didn't give us time to say farewell."

Sasuke tensed at the mention of his brother's name, but let it go. Gaara looked at her and turned his head away, He wasn't even thinking about talking to her. She had hurt him and 'this' he thought, 'Was hard to forget. She and her sister left him all alone.'

"Gaara…"Akira asked, "Gaara, will you forgive us?"

He walked away with out answering.

"It's okay."Temari assured her, "He'll calm down. But don't annoy him or make fun of him too much because-"

"I know. Please don't talk about it."

"Okay. See you around Akira. Tell your sister I said Hi!"Temari ran off.

**Akira and Kairi's home**

"Kai, you'd never guess who I saw."

"A movie star?"

"No, Gaara. And his sister."

"Gaa-kun! Man, I remember him, good times, good times. So how is he?"

"Not so great. He still doesn't forgive us for leaving him behind without saying farewell."

"man, he's gotten moodier that's for sure."

"Yeah… good night"

"G'night."

**the written part of the exams**

If you studied or just knew things, then this part would be super easy, but if you were a poor student, you would struggle. The rules of this part of the test were:

Cheating means automatic disqualification and you couldn't continue and you'd have to wait till next year .

There will be someone monitoring your every move. That way you can get caught cheating.

Only three teams failed and it wasn't one of our main charas or original teams.

**~~After The Chunin exAMs~~**

**Naruto VS Neji**

"Woo! GoNaruto!"Kairi yelled, "Yeah! Pwn Him!"

**Sasuke VS Gaara**

"Dang it sasuke! Why are you so late? And how the heck did you fit into that jumpsuit?" Kairi yelled. " I think you really are a girl in disguise! GO GAARA! YOU ROCK! GO MR. SANDMAN!"

"Shh, Kairi."Akira shushed her, "It's not fair to cheer for only one per—"

"GO SASUKE-KUN!:" Ino cheered, "YEAH, KICK HIS BUTT!"

'Oh no…'both Sakura and Akira thought , 'They're gonna place bets again.'

As it turned out, neither of them won the bet because Gaara and sasuke took off when the 3rd hokage was attacked.

"NOO!"Kairi yelled, "Orochimaru! Hurry and let's go!"

"Okay."Akira said, "Let's go help Sakura and Kakashi."


	4. Chapter 4

**~~OFF INTO THE FOREST.~~**

"Hurry, before something bad happens!"Akira yelled, "Can't you run faster!"

"No, I can't!"Kairi complained, "I hurt my leg when we ran into that rock! Why in such a hurry? Sasuke, Gaara and the others will be fine!"

"I know…"Akira said, "But I can't help but worry. Who knows what they could be doing. I mean, with Gaara's condition and Sasuke's bite there could be a lot of trouble."

"It's okay."Kairi told her, "We should just hope for the best and head back, okay?"

"Okay…"Akira replied.

"Nice to see you two again."Said a voice behind them. They turned around, "Itachi! Kisame! And… um, who are you?"

They smiled at the new blonde haired Akatsuki member, "Hey,un! I'm Deidara. Who are you supposed to be, un?"

"Well. We're two girls that Itachi helped get through the forest."Kairi answered.

"Okay."

"Um…"Akira spoke, "Itachi, you have a brother?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Uh, he kinda hates you."

"I know."Itachi answered.

"He's my friend…I think."

"…"

"Are you angry at me?"Akira asked nervously.

"No."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"no."

"Why are you here?"Kairi asked.

"To come get you, because the Akatsuki needs your help. We'll make it seem like you were kidnapped, okay?"Itachi said, "So you can go back to the village after."

"Okay, Itachi. We trust you."Kairi said.

"You have one day. To be ready."Kisame told them, "Don't say any farewells or anything. Make it seem like you're being kidnapped, kick and struggle and stuff."

"Okay, got it."Kairi said, "See you tomorrow night."

"Later, un."Deidara said.

**~~IN THE NIGHT~~**

"Sasuke-Kun! Don't go!"Sakura yelled, "No! You can't leave!"

"Let go, Sakura."Sasuke said, "Let me go."

Akira sat behind the bench that Sakura was just sitting on and watched the pair. She decided to step up.

"Sasuke, if you're planning to leave, then good luck. It's rough out there."Akira told him coldly. She had never spoken to anyone this way.

"I could give you a hint on where your brother is, but that would be cheating."She smirked, even Sasuke was surprised to see her talk to coldly to him.

"Tell me."He turned towards her and merely glanced at Sakura.

"Sakura, can you go home please? I'll make sure Sasuke stays at least one more day, okay?"Akira assured Sakura.

"Okay."Sakura said and looked at Sasuke worriedly and left.

"Tell me now."Sasuke stared into her eyes, her gaze was relaxed.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, too."She whispered. Telling Sasuke about her leaving was against what Itachi's rules, but she felt that he had a right to know. Itachi was watching them; he smiled at Akira's disobedience he still didn't know why he always let her get away with things though.

"Leaving, with who?"Sasuke asked.

"Kairi."Akira replied. 'She still wants to keep me a secret.' Itachi thought, 'How loyal."

"And what does this have to do with Itachi?"Sasuke asked.

"Truth is…"Akira said, "We're trying to track Itachi, too. But for different reasons. And we're a lot closer to finding him than you are, so maybe if you leave tomorrow I can give you some information on his whereabouts."

"Fine."Sasuke replied, "I'll stay for another day."

"Thank you!"Akira smiled, Sasuke couldn't help but smile back. 'She's really something.' Itachi smiled, 'She actually cares about the people around her. And she can convince people. Maybe that's why I always let her get away with things, because I know she can solve it.'

"Let's go, I'll take you back."Sasuke led her away before she got to catch sight of Itachi. Not knowing where he was, she just waved her hand around. He let a small chuckle out, 'She just couldn't help saying good bye.'

**~~The next day~~**

Kairi looked at her sleeping sister, who was snoring softly.

"She probably went on another long walk, again."Kairi sighed.

"Kairi! Some of your friends are over to visit, be good! I'll be back soon, okay?"Gummi yelled.

"OKAAY!"Kairi shouted, "I got it!" Kairi walked down the stairs to see who had arrived.

"Kairi!"Kuppi cheered, "you're here!"

"of course, it's my home."

"Where's Akira?"he asked.

"Sleeping, why?"Kairi asked.

"Um, Daisuke and Kuo came to see her."Kuppi answered.

"Don't you and Kuomi hate each other?"Kairi said.

"Yes, but he really wanted to see Akira."Kuppi said.

"Well, where are they?"

"In your room."

"WHHAAT?"Kairi yelled, "ALREADY?"

**~~IN THE ROOM~~**

Akira woke up to see Kuomi inches away from her face.

"AHH!"She yelped, "W-What are you doing here!"

"Gummi let us in."Kuomi laughed, "You're face was so red!"

"Because you were inches away from my face!"Akira protested.

"Suure, Or maybe you really like me."Kuomi said, teasingly.

"That's enough, Kuomi."Daisuke said, staring at them from the doorway, "I think Akira's had enough. She probably needs to change clothes or something."

"Okay."Kuomi said. He grinned at Akira then left with Daisuke. They closed the door.

"Kuomi, we've got a real problem."Daisuke told him.

"What is it?"

"I think Sasuke likes Akira."

"And why is that a problem?"Kuomi asked.

"Because," Daisuke explained, "Sasuke is a bad guy. You saw how he acted at the Chunin exams. What if he breaks her heart?"

"Umm, I think you're over reacting."Kuomi sighed, "Akira wouldn't break down just because one guy dumps her. She knows the risk of love. She's strong."

"How would you know?"

"Because Akira told me herself, that she wouldn't cry over one person. And she has other goals besides love. And…She has someone else."

"Oh…okay."Daisuke looked down nervously.

"Why?"Kuomi grinned, "Are you…jealous?"

"No! I'm not!"Daisuke shouted, blushing, "Of course not! Just worried about my teammate!"

"Suure you are."

"I am!"

"Hey."Akira said, interrupting, "I'm done. Um, let's go downstairs now."

"Okay."Kuomi and Daisuke answered.

"Yo!"Kairi greeted them downstairs, "I'm making pancakes, want some?"

"Sure!"Daisuke said.

"Hey Vixen, Hey Kuppi."Akira said smoothly.

"Hi" Vixen replied.

"HI!"Kuppi yelled.

"PANCAKE TIME!"Kairi shouted, "EAT UP!"

**~~At night~~**

Akira got up to go meet Sasuke at the gates, where he was supposed to leave.

"The information."Sasuke said, when he saw her.

"Oh, right."Akira looked down solemnly, "Itachi is part of a group whose whereabouts are unknown, nothing is known about them. But if you hear about this group you should check it out. They're called the Akatsuki. They're made up of S-ranked criminals, so good luck."

"Thanks."Sasuke said, "I hope you have good luck too."

"Well, once you pass those gates, it's goodbye."

"Yeah. Uh, I just wanted to say that if you ever need help then…"Sasuke looked away sheepishly.

Akira laughed, "Okay, I'll try my best to contact you as often as I can."

"Good, well then, bye."

"Bye…"Akira said. They shook hands then Sasuke left.

When Sasuke was a good mile or two away, Deidara grabbed Akira from behind and their plan proceeded. Akira kicked and struggled until they made it out of town.

**~~At the Akatsuki Base.~~**

"Okay so why do you need us?"Kairi asked. Pein, the leader, sighed, "We really need you two to travel for us."

"Travel?"Kairi asked, "Why?"

"Well, obviously we need you to recruit more members."Pein said.

"It wasn't that obvious for me."Kairi objected, "Akira was confused too."

"Um…okay…"Akira said, "We'll travel for you."

"Good, here's your uniform, Konan will help you with the rest."


	5. Chapter 5

**~~5 years later~~**

"Hidan! Give me my sword back! I need it!"Kairi called, "Hurry up damn it!"

"He's doing his ritual…again." Akira informed her.

"Well then, where's Deidara?" Kairi asked, "I need help with my bomb."

"He's making birds…again." Akira sighed, "Can I get back to polishing my scythe?"

"Oh, sure." Kairi said, "Sorry."

"It's okay." Akira smiled, "Could you answer the door? We're all kinda busy…"

"Hmm…Okay!" Kairi opened the door, "Hello…Oh my god!"

"Long time no see…"Sasuke smirked, "Kairi…"

"Akira!"Kairi called, "It-It's Sasuke!"

"What!"Akira ran over there, "What're you…Sasuke?"

"Hello Akira…you lied." he said bluntly, "About Itachi, you knew where he was."

"I did, but I gave you a hint, didn't I?"

"Sasuke!" A red headed girl with glasses came up, "Who are they?"

"Old friends…"Sasuke murmured.

"Oh! Akira, Kairi!" Deidara called, "Can you make me a sand-witch? Who's this, un?"

"An old friend," Akira answered, she sighed, "Is it that hard to make a sandwich? C'mon follow me, I'll show you how, Okay?"

"Thanks, Un. Can we do it the fun way, un?" Deidara asked, mischievously.

"Oh, sure... But you'll have to help me clean up though." Akira grinned.

"Can I join in too?" Kairi asked, "You guys never let anyone join you when you two do fun things."

"Because it's a secret," Deidara and Akira both put their finger to their lips, "Shh… Bye Kairi!"

They both got up and ran to the kitchen and closed the kitchen door.

"Hey! We need to be polite!" Kairi yelled, "At least bring some tea out for our guests!"

"Where's your leader?" Sasuke said irritably, obviously distracted by the loud laughter of Deidara and Akira.

"Oh, um… He's somewhere…" Kairi laughed nervously, "Hidan!"

"What?" Hidan asked, annoyed, "Who are these people? Stop calling me!"

"These people are here for Pein-sama." Kairi explained, "Where is he?"

"Leader's in Tobi's room, trying to help Konan explain to him what responsibility means." Hidan said, "Now stop calling me."

"Okay, thanks." Kairi called as he walked away, "Follow me."

_Boom!_ Akira laughed and loud splats were heard throughout the lair.

The visitors cautiously followed Kairi to Tobi's room.

**Inside the kitchen…**

"Damn it! Why won't it fit!" Deidara yelled, "It was perfect earlier!"

"I don't know! Let me try!" Akira shouted, and shoved the bread into the plastic bag, "It's too big!"

Just then Sasori walked in, "Why is there peanut butter everywhere?"

"Sasori-Chan, can you fit this bread in here?" Akira asked, "It's too big."

Sasori, took a knife from Deidara's hands, expertly cut it in half, grabbed a sandwich, and walked away. Akira slid the two slices into the bag.

"Well, that was obvious." Akira pointed out, "You got the tea?"

"Yep!" Deidara grinned and they walked out to serve their guests.

**In the "living room"**

"We have your sandwiches and tea." Akira said to the group of people waiting patiently at the table.

"This looks better than what you usually make them look like." Kairi commented, "That's good."

Sasuke hesitantly took a sandwich from the plate, staring at it suspiciously.

"Sasuke, I wouldn't poison my friend, if that's what you're thinking." Akira assured him, "If you want, I could take a bite to prove it."

"No, it's okay." Sasuke said, "I'll eat it, I'm just…"

"Akira," Kairi grinned, "Sasuke joined the Akatsuki, along with Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu. Isn't that great?"

"Oh, yeah, it is." Akira smiled, "I suppose Karin will be sharing a room with Konan?"

"No way," Karin said, "That woman is creepy!"

"How about Deidara makes a new room for you?" Akira asked. Karin nodded feverishly.

Akira laughed lightly, "Sasuke, maybe you cold share a room with Tobi, or one of your teammates?"

"Whatever." Sasuke said, "Whatever is fine. Where's Itachi?"

"Itachi-San is currently on a mission with Kisame-Senpai. They'll be back tomorrow." Akira explained, "Did you get your uniforms?"

"Yeah" Sasuke said, "Where's the other members?"

"We're right here." Hidan said gruffly, "Hidan."

Sasori walked up to Akira and whispered, "Why is he anxious to see Itachi?"

"Because" Akira said, "He's Itachi-San's brother."

"I'm Deidara, un." Deidara grinned.

"I'm Sasori." Sasori said when everyone finished introducing themselves.

"Hidan, where's your extra scythe?" Akira asked, "I need it to practice."

"It's in my room; I'll give it to you later because I need it for my ritual." Hidan said, "You can have

it by 10."

"Mm, Okay, I'll check that later. See ya tomorrow, Hidan." Akira waved.

"Later, Akira, See you tomorrow." Hidan mumbled and went off to his room. Akira smiled and turned back to their conversation with Sasuke.

"Why is Hidan always annoyed with me?" Kairi whined, "He never says goodbye to me!"

"That's because you always annoy him when you hang out with Deidara, and you hang out with Deidara every single day." Akira explained, "So of course he wouldn't say goodbye, Kairi-Chan."

"You didn't have to say it so straight to the point!" Kairi blurted, "He just doesn't like me at all!"

"Okay, okay." Akira teased, "Maybe he likes you so much, he ignores you."

"Um, Akira, Is there anything else?" Sasuke asked, "Maybe I should head to bed?"

"Okay then Sasuke, I'll catch up with you later." Akira rejoiced.

Sasuke nodded and walked away awkwardly, he could hear Akira and Kairi laughing in the other room as he sat on his new bed.

"Has she even missed me at all?" He wondered aloud, 'She seems so happy… maybe I shouldn't have come looking for her … maybe I might ruin this for her…'

Akira stood in his doorway, grinning. He blinked in surprise, 'When did she get there?'

"Sasuke, I'm glad to see you." She smiled.

"Oh…"Sasuke said, "Then you…"

Akira sighed, "You should go to sleep now, good bye."

She shut the door silently as she walked out of the room.

'What was that?' Sasuke mentally asked himself, 'I think it was…'

He suddenly felt excited at the thought of having Akira like him, 'Is this how my fan girls feel?'

**With Sasuke 5 years earlier**

'I wonder how Akira's doing…' Sasuke wondered, 'Is she… Ugh forget her! I can't believe I even thought about her well-being, she's only one stepping stone closer to Itachi. She doesn't matter to me at all…'

'Is she happy I left?' Sasuke mentally kicked himself, 'No! Don't think about Akira or her smile or her voice or her laugh, don't…'

He sighed, 'this is hopeless…She's too hard to forget…Did I really get this emotionally attached to her?'

**Present Day-Morning**

"Waffles are ready!" Kairi yelled, her voice rang throughout the house, "Waffles and warm syrup are ready to feast upon!"

"You are so FREAKING LOUD!" Hidan shouted at her, "PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FREAKING SLEEP!"

"Hidan…" Akira woke up, yawning; she patted his back, "Don't yell, okay… She's naturally loud."

"Ugh…whatever, since you already woke me up; I might as well eat." Hidan retorted, "Akira, can you fix me a plate while I go wash."

"Sure, Hidan, Just don't take too long." Akira replied softly, "It might get cold…"

Hidan nodded and walked away, while Kairi was glowing red from both embarrassment and anger.

"Can you believe him!" Kairi yelled, "The nerve of him! He had time to yell at me, but no time to put a shirt on! He is so DEAD during training!"

Akira grinned, "You two are so funny…"

But Kairi was too busy yelling to hear what Akira said. Sasuke yawned loudly when he arrived.

"Stop yelling Kairi. Your eggs are almost burning." Sasuke said, loud enough for Kairi to hear. She hurried to flip her eggs.

"Good Morning, Sasuke" Akira greeted cheerfully and called out, "Hidan, Your breakfast is ready!"

"I got it!" Hidan called back, "Wait two more minutes!"

Akira smiled, "Sasuke, would you like a plate?"

He nodded. She happily handed him a plate with eggs, toast, and waffles. Hidan showed up with a scythe.

Akira laughed, "Why did you bring your scythe? I thought you trusted us."

"I'm going to train earlier than everyone else; I'm getting a head start." Hidan explained.

"Well, I plan on showing Sasuke the training grounds; too. Maybe you could take him there first?" Akira asked.

"Whatever, as long as he doesn't get in my way" Hidan replied and finished his breakfast. He then left with Sasuke.

"Hidan hates me!" Kairi wailed, "Why don't we ever get along!"

"I don't know, Kairi, Hidan doesn't hate you, it's just his nature to be that way." Akira reassured her sister, "Let's wake up Deidara and the others."

**AT the training ground with everyone**

"Juugo, can you help me move these rocks?" Akira asked her new teammate, he nodded and went to help her.

"Shut up, Hidan!" Kairi shouted at him, "I can hurt you, if I wanted to!"

"Yeah right" Hidan said, mocking her, "You've never been able to beat me at sparring since the day you joined."

"Shut up!" Kairi fumed, "Just Shut your mouth!"

"Hidan, Stop mocking Kairi." Akira scolded, "She has her own way of defense, just different than ours."

"Whatever" Hidan muttered, "She's annoying."

Akira smiled lightly, "Kairi doesn't mean to annoy you."

"I'm leaving, I'll see you later." Hidan walked away, obviously starting to lose his temper.

"See you" Akira replied softly, and sat down on the soft grass, wondering how to make Kairi and Hidan get along.

**At the Base after the training**

"Kairi is mad at you, still." Akira told Hidan, who was lying on his bed, "She was really upset."

"Why should I care?" Hidan muttered, "She always gets in my way, she's a waste of time."

"She always complains that you don't like her, I think she wants to be your friend." Akira said, "She's tried to do so many things to impress you."

_**Flashback- 3 years ago**_

"_Kairi, why are you training so hard? I haven't seen you try this hard since we left Konoha." Akira asked worriedly, "Is something wrong?"_

"_I want Hidan to see me in a different way." Kairi explained, still beating the punching bag, "In a very different way."_

"_You want Hidan to like you? You mean like-like you, right?" Akira asked._

"_Exactly, if not, I understand, but at least I tried." Kairi turned to face Akira, "Can you keep this a super-secret…at least until things are really bad between me and him?" _

"_Uh, sure Kairi, whatever you want." Akira said, and walked away._

_**Flashback- end**_

"Why would she want to be MY friend?" He asked, frowning, "Either way, I probably won't like her."

"I'm not sure myself." Akira sighed, "But I know she might really like you."

"But I don't like her." Hidan protested, "She's an annoying brat who doesn't know how to mind her own business, besides I already have someone else in mind."

"Like who?" Akira asked curiously, "Who do you have in mind?"

"Um, maybe I like Karin?" He didn't hesitate the say her name, "She seems cool."

"But she's a Sasuke fan girl, so she won't agree. Either way, you still are stuck with Kairi as a choice." Akira argued

"Fine, I like…" He trailed off, not knowing who else to say, Akira smirked.

"You DO like Kairi, don't you?"

He shook his head furiously, "I don't like her! I like someone else!"

"Who else CAN you like?" Akira asked, "There are no other girls here, unless you're gay and you like Deidara."

"What, no!" Hidan shouted, "I like someone else!"

"Who is it?" Akira asked once more, "Who else is there?"

"I can't tell you!" Hidan said, "I can't tell you her name."

"Why can't you tell me her name?" Akira asked softly, "Is it hard to pronounce?"

"No, but I'll tell you this, she has the most beautiful voice and is the only one who understands me." Hidan said, "That's all I can tell you."

"Her voice is beautiful?" Akira asked, "That's nice, I never knew you would notice a girl's voice or anything like that. Sasori always told me that you only looked at a girl's ass."

Hidan mumbled, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Hidan, and good luck with her." Akira agreed, "See you tomorrow."

**The middle of the night**

"Akira, wake up…" Kairi whispered, "Everyone's missing…"

"What?" Akira sat up and rubbed her eyes, "What do you mean they're missing?"

"I mean they're not in the living room," Kairi panicked, "Is it happening again?"

"No," Akira said in a soothing tone, "They can't find us here Kairi. You're safe with me. We have so many caring friends…it can't happen again."

Akira stroked Kairi's hair comfortingly, "It's okay Kairi, and you're safe with me. I'll protect you."

Kairi silently drifted off to sleep and Akira snuck out to the living room. Sasori sat quietly on the living room couch.

"Sasori," Akira greeted him, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong…" He paused, "Except the fact that my chest aches. Akira, Kakuzu said there was nothing wrong with me, but it still hurts when..."

"Where does it ache?" Akira asked. Sasori laid his hand hesitantly on his heart.

He whispered softly, "The pain is too much to bear sometimes."

"Sasori…" Akira put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I don't know…it's your heart."

She wrapped a consoling arm around him, "Does it still hurt?"

He shook his head slowly, "No…Akira, Does anyone even care about me? I'm beginning to doubt my importance…everyone seems better off without me."

"Sasori," Akira sighed, "Of course we care about you. You're important to Deidara, Kairi, Hidan, and me. Without you, Deidara wouldn't have anyone to argue with, you both share a passion for art. Kairi needs you because you are her friend. Hidan needs you to keep Deidara away from him. I need you because you are my friend. Everyone else needs you because you're part of the team. You make this place function properly."

"Akira," He mumbled, "Good night…"

Sasori got up abruptly and left the room. Akira sighed and left to bed.

The Next Morning

"Kairi…" Akira woke the silver-haired girl, "I'm going on a mission. I won't be back until five days if everything goes well. Take care of everyone for now, don't argue with Hidan too much. Oh, and Sasori mentioned that his chest hurts, so keep an eye on him. Okay, I'm leaving now. Bye, Kairi."

"Wait, Akira…" Kairi whispered, but she fell back asleep. She woke up alone and sighed, "So that wasn't a dream then…"

Following her usual routine, she got up and made breakfast for everyone. She called out, "OMLETTE TIME!"

"Will you shut up?" Hidan shouted, he looked around and found something missing, "Where's Akira?"

Kairi sighed in frustration, "She left for a mission. She won't be back for five days. I'm angry at Pein-sama for sending her on a mission alone, so DON'T IRRITATE ME!"

"I ONLY ASKED A QUESTION, YOU CRAZY BITCH!" Hidan yelled back.

"What's going on?" Sasuke interrupted.

"Akira's not here and this psycho girl is going crazy." Hidan replied.

"I AM NOT!" Kairi screamed and threw her pepper shaker at Hidan, who ducked quickly.

"DAMN! ARE YOU ON YOUR MONTHLY GIFT OR SOMETHING!"

"Shut up, un! What happened to Akira's sunny voice waking us up and not all this yelling?" Deidara asked furiously.

"She's on a mission." Sasuke answered.

"She is?" Sasori asked, "She didn't tell me anything about it last night."

"L-last night?" Sasuke choked on his cereal, "You were with her last night?"

"We were talking about when Itachi might get back from his mission. Why do you ask?" Sasori answered innocently.

"UCHIHA, GET THOSE DIRTY THOUGHTS OUT OF YOUR DAMN HEAD BEFORE I KNOCK IT OFF." Kairi threatened.

"Yeah, un." Deidara said, "Sasori and Akira talk every night. What did you think Sasori was talking about, un?"

"N-nothing…" Sasuke said in relief. Kakuzu walked out and demanded compensation from Hidan and Kairi for waking him up. Zetsu came and conversed with Deidara.

** Akira**

Seeing Konoha's red gates brought back warm and happy memories to her heart. She gazed at it longingly. She stared at it for the longest time until she noticed a figure looking at her. She jumped back in surprise. The figure broke out into a grin.

"Akira!" Kuomi shouted, "I found you!"

"K-Kuo…" She stood there shocked as he embraced her.

"You and Kairi were gone. Where is she? We were so worried. I didn't care that you ran, I only knew that I wanted to see you again for sure." Kuomi looked straight into her eyes, "I knew immediately that it was you. Nobody has eyes as startling red as yours."

"You're not mad?"

"No, of course not" He laughed, "I would never be mad at you."

"What about Gummi, Daisuke, Sakura, Naruto, and everyone else?"

"Nobody's mad at you. Except maybe Sakura, but don't let that get you down. I heard that before the third hokage died, he left you and Kairi a mission that nobody knew about. That's why you left right?"

"Y-yeah, He said I was never to speak about it to anyone so when I heard he died I was afraid that everyone would think that I was a rogue ninja so I never came back. I never thought that…"

"At first we did, but we discovered a note on his desk saying not to blame you for leaving."

"He did?" She asked in shock, "That means…"

"The crystal ball that he looks in everyday was found broken, too. The note said something about letting you freelance out of here every so often and completing his mission." Kuomi sighed, "His word is law and it still is, but if I could I would keep you here."

"Oh…" Akira said as more familiar faces came into view, "Is that Sakura and Naruto?"

"Yeah," Kuomi nodded, "I was supposed to have lunch with them and their new member, Sai."

"It's you!" Sakura growled out and sprinted towards Akira. She then pulled her into a hug, "Oh, I wish I knew sooner that you weren't interested in Sasuke and spent time getting to know you. I had actually thought that the two of you had run off together."

"Hey…You…" Naruto rubbed his head nervously and whispered to Kuomi, "Should I know her?"

"IDIOT!" Sakura punched him fiercely on the head, "Remember that girl who used to stay with our team?"

"Oh!" Naruto laughed, "Now I know, it's Akira, right?"

Akira smiled and nodded, "Sakura, that wasn't really worth hitting him for... I mean, it has been 5 years."

"I remember clearly now that you're the girl who would smile at me when Sakura hit me." Naruto groaned.

"And you must be Sai." Akira greeted the pale, dark-haired boy next to them.

"And you must be Akira, that bitch who ran away." Sai smiled creepily.

"Sai!" Sakura shouted in shock, "Honestly Akira, I don't know where…"

To her surprise, Akira laughed, "Don't worry Sakura, he doesn't mean it."

**Kairi**

"Kairi, will you please calm down?" Konan asked, "I know Pein-sama wasn't right to send Akira on a mission alone, but I assure you that she is safe where she is."

"How do you know?" Kairi asked haughtily, "She could've been kidnapped or killed for all we know."

"She got there okay." A tall, blue man said, "We saw her in her destination moments earlier."

"Kisame," Kairi called happily, "That means Itachi must be here, too. Where is he?"

"In his room," Kisame shrugged, "I don't even know why he's so angry all of the sudden."

"Maybe he's mad because his younger brother followed him here." Kairi reasoned.

"That could be it…"

**Akira**

"Ah…It's so nice to be back." Akira said, soaking in the hot spring with Sakura and a few other old classmates.

"I know right…" Sakura said, "But I've noticed…What're those scratches on your back? They look like claws."

"It's really nothing…"

"Kyaa!" The violet-haired Hinata screamed, "T-There's a pervert in the bath house!"

"Kuppi's not a pervert!" A tall boy shouted, "I just wanted to see Akira Ouri!"

"In her towel!" The ladies screamed and threw towels over his eyes, "Get out and wait outside!"

"It's okay," Akira smiled kindly, "He's an old friend of mine."

She finished putting on her clothes and led him outside. They sat on a bench outside of the bath house. She tip toed and patted his head. She grinned, "You have gotten tall since the last time I saw you. You used to be so short."

"Uh-huh…" He said, "Where's Kairi?"

"Kairi wasn't able to come due to certain reasons, but you'll see her next time."

"You're sure about that…right?"

"Yes, I'm absolutely sure."

"Okay then…" Kuppi stood up and yawned, "That's a relief, and I thought Kairi might've passed on or something. Now that I know, let's go see Daisuke and Vixen!"

"O-oh," Akira answered.

**Five days later…**

"I'm home!" Akira called out when she arrived in the Akatsuki hideout.

"Akira!" Deidara grinned and glomped her, "I'm so happy, un! Now I don't have to be woken up by yelling! We can do fun stuff now, un!"

"Oh," She smiled, "Nice to see you, Deidara."

"Ahem…" Sasuke cleared his throat, "Sorry to intrude…"

Deidara stuck his tongue out at the raven haired boy who only glared in return. Sasori then walked in and asked, "Have you seen Kairi and Hidan?"

"I haven't, un," The blond boy answered, not letting go of the girl in his grasp.

"I thought Hidan went to go train and Kairi followed him." Sasuke replied.

"Oh no," Akira said with worry, "What if they have a fight?"

Deidara released her, "They have been worse, un. You don't think Kairi might assault Hidan, do you?"

"I'm not sure, but Hidan wouldn't try anything with Kairi, right?" Akira asked.

"Kairi and Hidan aren't the best of friends…" Sasori added, "Maybe we should go check on them?"

""We should…" Akira nodded, "Care to join me, Sasori? Or does your chest still in pain?"

"I think I'm still well enough to go." Sasori said, "Let's hurry."

As the pair left, Sasuke growled in frustration. 'Why hadn't she asked me first?' He brooded, 'I would've been a much better choice than that puppet. What's up with that blonde idiot, anyways? Embracing her like that and she didn't even mind.'

Deidara pouted, "I really wanted to go, un. Oh well…"

"I heard Akira. Where is she?" Itachi asked coming out of his bedroom.

"She just left with Sasori, un. They went to go spy on Kairi and Hidan."

"When she gets back, give her this." He said abruptly, and tossed Deidara a soft pink scarf, "This will help cover her mark."

'What mark?' Sasuke asked himself.

"Okay, she'll be happy, un." Deidara called to Itachi.

"What mark is that bastard talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, you didn't know, un?" Deidara answered, "Akira has a mark on her back that goes up to the back of her neck."

"She never told me that." Sasuke said defiantly. Deidara shrugged.

"Maybe she didn't want you to worry, un. I didn't know until Itachi pointed it out a few months after Akira showed up, un."

** Akira and Sasori**

"Sasori, what do you think they're doing?" Akira asked curiously.

"I think they're just arguing like always." Sasori replied. Akira frowned.

"But it's almost Christmas… They must be doing something cheerful at least."

'Akira,' Sasori thought, 'you are so clueless sometimes.'

"Sasori, there they are…" Akira whispered as they crouched behind a nearby bush and watched the couple bicker.

** Kairi and Hidan**

"Kairi," Hidan said softly. Kairi's face turned a bright red.

"W-what…" She asked nervously

Looking deep into her hazel eyes he said, "I honestly do not like you."

Kairi's face fell, "WH-What!"

He stood up straight and said, "I don't see you in a romantic way. To me, you're just Kairi. You're a kid who just can't be mature. Maybe I'll see you differently when you actually do something meaningful and heartfelt for me, but you're too clingy. Besides, I have someone else on my mind."

"Oh…" Kairi stood there in silence, "Okay then, I understands completely…"

"I just don't feel that way right now, I'm sorry."

"It's no problem." Kairi smiled lightly, "No problem at all."

** Akira and Sasori**

"Kairi…" Akira whispered, "Sasori, do you think she's okay?"

"I don't know…" He replied, "She seems rather…odd."

"C'mon, let's go back to base before they notice us."


End file.
